Ski-stick and associated looped carrier strap

ABSTRACT

The handle of the ski-stick carries adjacent the lower end of the handle, a fastener provided with a port. Thus, a looped twostranded strap which can be secured solely to the upper end of the handle, may as well extend as a half-loop between the upper end and the fastener through the port in which the free end of at least one strand of the strap is introduced, so as to be held in position thereby. This allows the skier to insert his hand between the handle he grasps and the half-loop formed by the strap.

United States Patent 1191 Adelmann sKl-sTlCK AND ASSOCIATED 'LOOPED CARRIER STRAP [75] Inventor: Robert Witsenhausen Adelmann, Saint Vallier Sur Rhone, France [73] Assignee: Societe Anonyme de Recherches de Mecanique Appliquee, Saint Vallier sur Rhone (Drome), France 22 Filed: Nov. 22, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 308,847

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov 24, 1971 France 71.42089 52 US. C1. 280/1137 H 51 Int. Cl...; A63c 11/22 58 Field of Search280/11.37 11, 11.37 B, 11.37 A,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,085,814 4/1963 Scott 280/1137 H 14 1 July 23, 1974 3,367,673 2/1968 Covini 280/1137 H 3,545,784 12/1970 Alsop 280/1137 H FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 488,471 5/1970 Switzerland 280/1l137 11 429,535 7 1967 Switzerland 280/1137 K Primary ExaminerDavid Schonberg Assistant Examiner-Milton L. Smith Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Eric H. Water [5 7 ABSTRACT The handle of the ski-stick carries adjacent the lower end of the handle, a fastener provided with a port. Thus, a looped two-Stranded strap which can be secured solely to the upper end of the handle, may as well extend as a half-loop between the upper end and the fastener through the port in which the free end of at least one strand'of the strap is introduced, so as to be held in position thereby. This allows the skier to insert his hand between the handle he grasps and the half-loop formed by the strap.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 SKI-STICK AND ASSOCIATED LOOPED CARRIER STRAP The invention relates to a loop carrier strap for a skistick.

Carrier straps, chiefly for use with ski-sticks are known, in which one end is secured to the lower part I of the ski-stick handle while its other end is secured in the usual manner to the upper part of said handle, so that thestrap forms a mere half-loop to be engaged by the skiers hand which latter is thus urged into contact with the stick handle.

Such straps prevent the skier from remaining hung on to a ski-lift if he happens to fall off and they also allow the skier to more accurately control his movements when skiing over a descent or executing a slalom.

It may however occur that the skier using the skistick prefers resorting to a conventional looped carrier strap both ends of which are secured to the upper part of the stick handle, so as to form a complete loop. The skier must then change the straps.

My invention has now for its object an improvement for ski-sticks whereby the same stick handle may serve optionally with conventional straps forming a complete loop or with a strap forming a half-loop.

According to my invention, my improved ski-stick, which is provided with a conventional double-stranded strap secured only to the upper end of the handle, carries underneath the latter a fastener, made from an elastomer and wherein a port IS formed the size of cations thereof, falling within the scope of the accomwhich registers substantially with that of one strand or of both superposed strands of the strap. Thus, it is sufficient to insert one strand or both strands of the strap through the port in the fastener, which is readily obtained by stretching the strap, so that the strap may form the desired half-loop to be engaged by the skiers hand. The fastener may serve as well as a member for carrying a second stick.

I have described hereinafter, by way of example and in a non-limiting manner, an embodiment of my improved ski-stick. In the accompanying drawings illustrating said embodiment:

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a ski-stick handle;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the fastener incorporated with said handle;

FIG. 3 is a view, similar to FIG. 1, showing the strap secured to the lower end of the handle; and

FIG. 4 shows how the ski-stick is to be held by the skier when the strap is secured in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ski-stick l is fitted in a blind axial bore 2 formed in the handle 3. A strap 4 has two strands 4a and 4b passing through a hole 5 extending transversely across the handle 3, said strands being held fast therein by a screw 6 and a nut 7. The two strands of the strap 4 are united by an adjusting buckle 8 secured to the strand 4a of the strap and in which the other strand 4b is slid and held fast.

The stick 1 carries, immediately underneath the handle 3, a fastener 9 made of an elastomeric material. As shown more particularly in FIG. 1, the fastener 9 is provided with a port 10 in which the stick may be set with a force fit. The fastener includes furthermore two lugs 11 and 12 which may be folded back so as to be interconnected by means of a ring 13 and hook 14. Such a fastener, as described hereinabove, is of a conventional type and allows a second stick to be secured to the stick 1 However, the fastener 9 is provided, additionally, with a port 15, the size of which registers substantially with that of the superposed strands 4a and 4b.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stick may be used in a conventional manner by the skier when he inserts his hand in the loop formed between the strands 4a and 4b. But the skier may, as well, cause the buckle 8 to pass through the port 15 in the fastener 9 which is stretched for this purpose (FIG. 3).

The buckle 8 cannot pass readily back through the port 15 so that the strands 4a and 4b remain in contacting relationship and are held in position over the lower part of the handle 3. The superposed strap strands form thus a half-loop extending over the handle and the skier can inserthis hand down to the root of his thumb between said half-loop and the stick handle, as shown in FIG. 4. The skiers hand is thus urged into contact with the handle 3 but releases automatically the strap whenever a tractional stress is exerted on the stick 1. When the stick is held fast by the skiers hand, it is possible for the skier to control accurately the movements of his stick.

panying claims. Thus, in particular, the size of the port 15 may register only with that of one of the strands of the strap, in which case, the buckle 8 would be secured to the strand 412; it would then be sufficient to separate the strand 4a from the strand 4b, to make it pass through the port 15 and to secure it again to the buckle 8, so as to prevent its end from hanging loosely. The mere friction of the strand 4a along the edges of the port 15 prevents any possible sliding of said strand.

What I claim is:

1. In a ski-stick adapted to be carried by a looped double stranded strap, the combination of the handle of the stick provided at its upper end with a hole for securing one end of the looped strap and a fastener of a yielding material fitted over the stick adjacent the lower end of the handle, and. provided with a port the size of which such as allows the insertion therethrough of at least one strand of the strap, and a buckle adjustably connecting the strands of the strap in superposed relation, said buckle having one position free of said fastener whereby said strands form a loop in which a hand of a skier can be inserted, and a second position behind said fastener with at least one strap extending through said port such that the buckle prevents withdrawal of said one strap and a half loop is formed by said strap enabling the hand of the skier to be inserted between said half loop and said handle.

2. A ski-stick as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastener is adapted to carry another stick.

3. A ski-stick as claimed in claim 1 wherein said buckle is substantially at the midlength of the two strands such that the strands are of equal length. 

1. In a ski-stick adapted to be carried by a looped double stranded strap, the combination of the handle of the stick provided at its upper end with a hole for securing one end of the looped strap and a fastener of a yielding material fitted over the stick adjacent the lower end of the handle, and provided with a port the size of which such as allows the insertion therethrough of at least one strand of the strap, and a buckle adjustably connecting the strands of the strap in superposed relation, said buckle having one position free of said fastener whereby said strands form a loop in which a hand of a skier can be inserted, and a second position behind said fastener with at least one strap extending through said port such that the buckle prevents withdrawal of said one strap and a half loop is formed by said strap enabling the hand of the skier to be inserted between said half loop and said handle.
 2. A ski-stick as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastener is adapted to carry another stick.
 3. A ski-stick as claimed in claim 1 wherein said buckle is substantially at the midlength of the two strands such that the strands are of equal length. 